Will Anderson Trade by Texans Stuns Twitter; Praised as 'Incredible' Move at No. 3

Will Anderson Jr. is going to be defending for C.J. Stroud.

After selecting Ohio State quarterback Stroud with the No. 2 pick, the Houston Texans made a shocking trade up to No. 3 to snag Alabama linebacker Anderson as well.

Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans will now have one of the strongest edge rushers of the 2023 draft class jump-starting his new defense.

The Texans took NFL media members by surprise when general manager Nick Caserio quickly snagged two of the most highly-anticipated picks of 2023 following the trade with the Arizona Cardinals. The Tennessee Titans were also in talks to trade for the Cardinals' third pick, per NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.

Anderson Jr. has been one the highest-ranked picks in the 2023 draft ever since he led the FBS in tackles for loss (34.5) and sacks (17.5) as a sophomore during Alabama's 2021 season, which he finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.

In 2022, he became a consensus top ten selection when he followed that up with an SEC-best ten sacks and his second selection as an unanimous All-American his junior year.

The Texans' move to get him earned a reaction from J.J. Watt. Like Anderson Jr., Watt was also once a first-round defensive pick for the Texans.

Houston will now hope the Anderson Jr. move turns out as well as the decision to select Watt did.